Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales in 2017 shows rise in fentanyl deaths

The Office for National Statistics has published the 2017 figures for deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales this week. The figures show that deaths from fentanyl have risen.

The figures reveal that in 2017, there were 3,756 drug poisoning deaths, similar to levels seen in 2016. Of these registrations, two-thirds were drug misuse deaths. The figures show that the level of drug poisoning deaths remained stable, however, deaths from fentanyl continued to rise.

MP Steve Brine, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has announced a review of the "growing problem" of prescription drug addiction.
The review, which will take a year, will cover sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines and z-drugs (zolpidem and zopiclone); painkillers called opioids, pregabalin and gabapentin (the latter two are also used to treat epilepsy) and antidepressants